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24 | M A C O N M A G A Z I N E J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 7 IN THE SPIRIT Hancock's Reserve is a whiskey that was named to honor Hancock Lee, who settled near Frankfort, Ken., and is credited as being among the first to distill near the current Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1775. This whiskey has won many different awards and is made by Sazarac at Buffalo Trace. This whiskey is made from the Mashbill No. 2, which is also where Blanton's, Elmer T. Lee, and Rock Hill Farms come from. This bourbon is one that I'd been trying to get my hands on for a while. It has great packaging and is a little difficult to find, but when you do, it provides a great value for the quality of whiskey. There is no age statement on this bottle, and the exact mash bill isn't released, but generally it has 12-15 percent rye content in the mash. Another differentiating characteristic of this whiskey compared to the others is the low alcohol content, 88.9 proof, which is lower than all of its Bill No. 2 siblings. The color of this whiskey is a deep amber and on the nose smells of oak, caramel, vanilla and a slight hint of toasted pecan. The initial tastes are of cinnamon, some honey as well as the oak. This is a nice sweet bourbon that finishes with a soft lingering burn that dissipates quickly. The finish also leaves a nice cinnamon taste on your tongue. Overall, I really enjoyed this whiskey and definitely advise trying it out if the opportunity arises. If you follow this column regularly and would like to hear more whiskey talk, tune in to The Creek 100.9 on Sundays at 1 p.m. for my radio show "Barstool Troubadours." - Richie Jones, owner of Downtown Grill & partner in Piedmont Brewery & Kitchen Briefs